SMBH

A creative culture of passionate people engaged in innovative structural design.

Columbus City Schools

Columbus City Schools Wedgewood Middle School

Location:
City, State

Architect:
WSA Studio

Construction Cost:
$13 million

Project Size:
90,000 SF

To better accommodate the needs of their students, Columbus Public Schools decided to construct a new facility for the Wedgewood Middle School. The design created learning pods on two floors for the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Each pod contains two project laboratories, six 900 SF flexible classrooms, and two special education classrooms. The pod's arrangement supports team teaching per grade at the middle school level and increases the cohesiveness of the student body and each instructional unit.

Significant features of the design included large windows for maximum sunlight in each classroom and a centralized placement of the media center and library to underscore this function's role in the educational process. Also included are a computer lab, state-of-the-art music and art rooms, and a new gymnasium. The exterior features masonry, metal panels, and glassy features.

CCS - Wedgewood MS

Columbus City Schools Olde Orchard Elementary School

Location:
Columbus, Ohio

Architect:
Prime AE

Construction Cost:
$11.99 million

LEED Certification:
LEED Gold

The new Olde Orchard Elementary School houses 550 students in grades PK-5 and was built on the site of the original school. The new building embraces the sustainable practices of LEED. The facility contains a geothermal HVAC system, low-emitting building materials, motion-activated lighting, triple-pane windows, and natural daylight in every classroom. The structure is comprised of load-bearing masonry bearing walls with a decorative brick veneer. The facility contains separate gymnasium and cafeteria spaces. The architecture accommodates tutoring rooms adjacent to every classroom with modern computer facilities. The students occupied their new school starting in 2012.

CCS - Olde Orchard ES-RAB told okay to use by Braun and Steidl

Columbus City Schools Africentric Early College

Location:
Columbus, Ohio

Architect:
WSA Studio

LEED Certification:
LEED Gold

Construction Cost:
$27 million

Project Size:
145,000 SF

CCS - Africentric Early College

The Africentric Early College PK-12 school is a new two-story, 145,000 SF building. The structure is considered as two buildings connected by an enclosed pedestrian walkway. The northernmost structure is a tall one-story building containing a small gymnasium, an auditorium, spaces for the vocal and instrumental music program, the kitchen and cafeteria, and administrative offices. The structure is steel joist and steel framing with reinforced concrete masonry. The main entry has a concrete and steel post suspending a roof structure with clerestory glass.

The southern structure is a two-story building designed with steel joists and steel framing supporting roof decks and floor slabs on deck. Reinforced concrete masonry forms the majority of the load-bearing walls. The building is divided into neighborhoods by wing and floor to separate the elementary, middle, and high school students. The structure supports generous daylighting into the classrooms, the laboratory, and the alternative learning centers.

Columbus City Schools Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy

Location:
Columbus, Ohio

Architect:
DesignGroup

LEED Certification:
LEED Silver

Construction Cost:
$13.6 million

Project Size:
66,600 SF

Awards:
2019 AIA Columbus Merit Award

CCS - Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy

Founded in 1987, the mission of the Columbus City Schools’ Spanish Immersion Academy is to bilingually educate students in grades K-6 and foster awareness of the various cultures living in the English and Spanish-speaking communities in the area. When classes began for the 2016-2017 school year, students returning to the school entered a new 66,600 SF space filled with natural light and loads of new technology. This new building includes a classroom wing, gymnasium, cafeteria with a raised stage platform, and extended learning spaces.

This project included demolishing an existing school building on the project site and constructing the new facility. As the structural engineer, our challenges included designing a building that was functional, within budget and met all programming requirements of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission while achieving the architect’s vision of creating an open, inviting interior space that is conducive to learning.

Every project brings its share of challenges, and this one was no different. With multiple trades on site and coordination of the setting of specific precast wall panels before or after steel installation, construction sequencing was a challenge. Still, it was vital to keep the project on schedule and budget. In addition, the design team was able to streamline the design and construction using exterior load-bearing precast concrete walls (instead of traditional CMU), which was a financially viable option and allowed the construction to move along faster.